Ohio Medical Marijuana Licensees Announced

The state regulators have spent the last year formulating and establishing the guidelines for the restrictive program. 185 applications were received by the department; 109 Tier I and 76 Tier II. Many did not make the cut.

CannAscend, one of the leading cannabis companies in the state, is challenging the outcomes. Founders Jimmy Gould and Ian James headed up the state’s 2015 marijuana legalization initiative, tagged Responsible Ohio. “There were significant problems in the course of processing the applications,” Gould stated in a news release, claiming several critical flaws were discovered by their legal experts, and that more may yet be uncovered.

All license winners are now under a probation period of 9 months within which they will need to become fully compliant with state laws and regulations. A series of inspection will be carried by the state after which a certificate of operation will be awarded.

11 companies were selected for “Level II” licenses in early November. A 12th license was awarded to Farkas Farms LLC in Grafton this past Thursday.

Below is a list of the businesses awarded licenses by state regulators along with their respective “points:”

The recent announcement is expected to be a catalyst, speeding up the development of growing facilities and dispensaries in order to be operational before the September 2018 launch of sales.

Ohio’s medical marijuana laws allow patients suffering from a list currently comprising of 21 medical conditions to have access to medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation. However, the law prohibits users from smoking marijuana or growing it at home.